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Oilers Trade For Player Who Tried To Shorten McDavid's Career

After the Oilers made two trades on Sunday, the second trade included Edmonton acquiring a player who once seriously injured Connor McDavid.

After first moving defenseman Chris Wideman for Alex Petrovic earlier in the day, the Edmonton Oilers traded Drake Caggiula and Jason Garrison to the Chicago Blackhawks for Brandon Manning and Swedish defenseman Robin Norell. While Norell is not likely to join the Oilers any time soon, Manning is an interesting acquisition because he's the same player who shortened Connor McDavid's first season in the NHL with an errant trip that sent the Oilers star center into the boards, breaking his shoulder.

"Connor actually reached out... He said he's happy to have me & thinks I can help the team. Obviously, with our history & when a guy of that calibre reaches out to you, it's pretty special." – Brandon Manning (@mandog1990) https://t.co/pz3rThQ7z6

While accidental injuries happen, what ruffled so many feathers in Edmonton was the fact that Manning later admitted purposely trying to trip McDavid — a comment that hadn't been forgotten when McDavid finally returned to the Oilers after the injury and by many fans in Edmonton who are appalled that the Oilers would add a player who has such a history with the team's biggest star.

But, it was later learned, the general manager for the Oilers, Peter Chiarelli reached out to McDavid before making the move. McDavid gave his blessing on the trade and reached out to Manning offering no hard feelings and showing that he is a true professional, willing to put the past behind him in an effort to help the Oilers win more games.

What This Means

On a few levels, this trade is interesting for the Oilers. First, Manning could help the team on their blue line but he's not exactly a top-notch defender that will move the needle in Edmonton. Second, despite the fact McDavid gave his ok and reached out to Manning, there will certainly be fans and media who think these two guys may never be close.

A small interesting tidbit was that one of McDavid's close friends, Drake Caggiula, was moved in the deal.